The importance of cities to the development of a sustainable, global economy is widely recognized. City leaders around the world have been making commitments to deliver the necessary reduction in urban emissions to meet global climate goals. Achieving these targets will require a combination of new energy solutions, new technologies, new approaches to city management and operations, and the development of Energy Cloud platforms on which partners can support cities in their transformation to a zero carbon economy.
The zero carbon city will be characterized by a complex set of interdependencies between diverse aspects of city operations, infrastructure, and platforms. It will require new networks for collaboration between cities, utilities, and other energy sector players, as well as transportation providers, building owners, telecommunication companies, and technology suppliers. Guidehouse Insights estimates that such collaboration will create a market worth more than $1.5 trillion over the next decade for smart services across urban energy, buildings, mobility, and other city operations.
This Guidehouse white paper looks at the critical elements of the emerging city energy landscape, including the spread of distributed renewable energy, building energy programs, and the rethinking of city transportation. The impact of these innovations is amplified by the advance of digital technologies and the new platforms and business models they are enabling. Guidehouse’s paper outlines the opportunities and challenges that these new platforms offer to diverse stakeholders in the future Urban Energy Cloud.
1. Executive Summary
1.1 A New City Energy Landscape
1.2 The Energy Cloud
1.3 Key Messages
2. Creating the Low Carbon Cities of 2030
2.1 Cities Step Up
2.2 The City as a Service
2.3 The Challenges
3. Laying the Foundations
3.1 The Building Blocks
3.2 Cities and the Energy Cloud
3.3 City Platforms
3.4 Buildings and the Future of Urban Energy
3.5 The Age of Low Carbon Mobility
3.6 The Circular City
4. Delivering on the Vision
4.1 The Urban Energy Cloud 2030
4.2 Recommendations for City Leaders and Other Policy Makers
4.3 Recommendations for Utilities and Other Energy Companies